Four & Four House by Mcleod Bovell Modern Houses
Four & Four House is a mid-century waterfront house located in Vancouver, Canada, designed in 2021 by Mcleod Bovell Modern Houses.
Description
Situated on a steep waterfront lot flanked by suburban context, the Four & Four House knits together the client’s affinity for mid-century post-and-beam construction with contemporary adaptations. The site’s generous width and its semi-naturalized condition provided an opportunity for landscape elements to flow from the front yard, through the center of the house, to the waterfront in the form of four distinct courtyards. Clad in locally milled yellow cedar, four massive beams frame these courtyards: the sunken entry courtyard, the garden courtyard, the covered outdoor living room, and the waterfront lounge deck.
Spatially, the central courtyard separates the flanking formal and informal living areas. A fully glazed gallery acts as the intersection between the living spaces, entry courtyard, and garden. The upper floor—a screened volume containing the bedrooms—spans the outdoor living room below like a bridge. Shifted toward the street, this volume’s monolithic façade at the south conveys a sense of privacy when viewed from the street. Meanwhile, lowered window heads visually reduce the house’s massing from the water’s edge to give it the appearance of a single-story volume following the client’s appreciation for mid-century aesthetics.
Photography courtesy of Mcleod Bovell Modern Houses
Visit Mcleod Bovell Modern Houses
- by Matt Watts
